They work tirelessly all day under the harsh rays of a blazing sun, the stench of death and destruction around them. They are a team of Jewish heroes who are working around the clock with one mission: the recovery of human bodies.

The SA Friends of the Beit Halochem Zahal Disabled Veterans Organisation was established in Johannesburg in 1982, its primary goal being to help and support Zahal disabled veterans by raising funds to help them return and resume their normal lives as soon as possible.

There’s a popular weekly satirical show in Israel called Eretz Nehederet. In a recent episode, an actor playing Benny Gantz, the former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and newcomer to Israeli politics, is asked how he’s feeling.

Devotion to the cause of the State of Israel flourishes in the most unlikely places, even in societies where the Jewish presence is small to non-existent. Such is the case in Mozambique, where the work of Beth-El Associacao Crista Amigos De Israel - Mozambican Christian Friends of Israel - testifies to how much can be achieved by those inspired by their Christian faith to promote the Israeli cause, despite adverse conditions.

JNF’s unique “Blue Boy Box” now lives at King David Linksfield Pre-Primary so that children of each generation learn the importance of tzedakah (charity or welfare). It is the responsibility of Jews all over the world to build Israel, develop it and nurture it as the home of the Jewish nation

“Knowledge is Light” was our school motto when I was a child in Durban. The importance of education was made clear to us from as far back as I can remember. It wasn’t taken for granted. A good education was a privilege.

(JTA) Norwegian rapper not charged with hate speech
A Norwegian rapper who cursed Jews while performing at an event in Oslo promoting multiculturalism will not be charged with hate speech, because his words may have been criticism of Israel, prosecutors said.

Did Israeli soldiers violate international law by deliberately targeting unarmed children, journalists, health workers, and people with disabilities during the past year of violence along the Israel-Gaza border?

(JTA) After the New England Patriots beat the favoured Kansas City Chiefs to reach their third straight Super Bowl – their amazing ninth in less than 20 years – CBS sports analyst Boomer Esiason made an intriguing statement, namely that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

We are winging our way towards Human Rights Day (21 March), the first public holiday of the year, which coincides with Purim. I can’t help but wonder about our concept of human rights and what it means, not least of all, to our government.

President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed in parliament last week that South Africa intended to downgrade its diplomatic presence in Israel. The foreign affairs bureaucracy was working “feverishly” on the matter. “The decision to downgrade the embassy in Israel is informed precisely by the violation of the rights of Palestinians and we are therefore putting pressure on Israel. But at the same time, we are saying we are willing to play a role and ensure there is peace,” said Ramaphosa.

Undeterred, and in spite of the hate-filled disparagement that spewed forth when Shashi Naidoo uttered positive comments about Israel and Jews last year, Haafizah Bhamjee penned a reasoned and sensible article on Israel and the Palestinians in the SA Jewish Report of 22 February.

With Prince William’s historic visit to Israel this week, all eyes have been trained on the Jewish capital. It may have taken 70 years, but the first official visit by a member of the British Royal family began in Israel on Monday, when William, the Duke of Cambridge, arrived in Tel Aviv.

Some 5 600 emissaries (shluchim) from Chabad-Lubavitch from all over the world gathered at the Pier 8 warehouse in Brooklyn, New York this week for the opening of their four-day annual international conference and banquet, 75 years after the arrival of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, from Europe.

One of the questions that haunts the story of Purim and moves silently through the lines of the Megillah is clear and chillingly simple: How could Jews have chosen to remain in Persian Shushan? It was so clearly an environment in which anti-Semitism was so prevalent that a genocide could be planned and almost implemented without comment by broader society.

“The greatness of our nation is that our people are great. We are a nation of heroes, of people with good and decent moral fibre who will not tolerate our country being plundered!” So said Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein in Pretoria this morning.“This is a struggle for accountability and justice,” Goldstein told the crowd (which included prominent Jewish CEOs like Adrian Gore, Stephen Koseff and Michael Katz). “This struggle is about sovereignty. The power of the people always triumphs in the end.”

The Jewish Report Editorial

Friends where you didn’t know you had any

When the world seems like a dark place, there are always pockets of light and love.

by
PETA KROST MAUNDER | Dec 13, 2018

Last weekend, I was away with my extended family in Wallmansthal, on the other side of Pretoria. It was a delightful and relaxing family time.

On Saturday in the late morning, there was a strong-man demonstration at the lodge we were staying at, and some of us went along to see what it was about. The strong man was a devout Afrikaans Christian, who made comments relating to his faith as he bent metal and gave his audience an interesting show.

Later, the strong man and his family overheard us saying kiddush, and his wife came over while we were sitting outdoors having lunch. She asked us how we knew Hebrew. Astonished, we weren’t quite sure where she was going with her line of questioning. Eventually, we told her it was because we were Jewish.

She became quite emotional when she heard this, and told us how she was so excited to meet “G-d’s chosen people”, and felt blessed to be in our presence.

She said she loved Jewish people because we were so special, and was grateful to have made our acquaintance.

I found it a little overwhelming to be called “the chosen ones”, because I don’t believe anyone is better than anyone else, and it sets us apart in a somewhat uncomfortable way. I guess that in my head, it sets up expectations of us being a true light unto the nation. I know that we try, but I, for one, certainly don’t always live up to that expectation.

However, I loved the fact that while we have so many enemies and people who dislike us just because we happen to be Jewish, here were some people who genuinely appeared to love us for exactly the same reason.

In our chat with this woman, we found out that she and her husband were very involved in their church, and it was through the church that they had found their love for Israel and the Jewish people.

In this newspaper, we invariably have stories about people disliking us or simply finding fault in us because we are Jewish or because we support the state of Israel. However, we rarely look around us to see who is on our side, who supports us, and wants to be our friend. Just writing it sounds trite, but it is true.

The strong man and his wife are part of a massive group of Afrikaans Christians who love us – albeit putting us on a bit of a pedestal.

Then, there are literally millions of African Independent churchgoers and African Zionists who love Israel and the Jewish people. We truly have the support of millions and millions of Christians in South Africa.

Hard to believe, isn’t it? That is, especially when we have a ruling party that is so anti-Israel and anti almost anyone who supports the Jewish state. We also have a strong anti-Israel lobby that makes a big noise and tries to turn as many people against Israel as possible.

Because of that, it sometimes feels like we are on our own here, with many against us and what we believe. However, in the overall scheme of things, there are more people who are on our side than against us.

But it doesn’t look this way in Parliament or in government, where the Boycott Divestment Sanctions-aligned voice is loud and strong. While the Democratic Alliance does its bit to make sure that things are fair, the honourable Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, President of the African Christian Democratic Party, always takes a stand against the anti-Israel lobby.

When I told my little story to Benji Shulman, the Director of Policy at the South African Zionist Federation, he clarified things for me.

He explained that most Christians who support us in Africa see, “the Jews and Israel as the biblical root that supports the Christian tree. They take seriously the biblical view that, ‘those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed’.”

And so, as the year draws to a close, and we all take time out to reflect and reconsider, or simply just veg out for a few weeks, it is worth acknowledging that we are not alone on the southern tip of Africa.

We do have friends who support us and the Jewish state.

May your holidays be filled with peace, love, and laughter, and may you start your new year refreshed and ready for anything.